‘MAGA’ wasn’t Trump’s first slogan idea, and 3 more things to know about the phrase

by Addy Bink - 07/21/24 10:00 AM ET

(NEXSTAR) — For nearly a decade, the term “MAGA” has been associated with former president Donald Trump and his campaign. He isn’t the first Republican or politician to run on “making America great again,” however.

It’s well-documented that Ronald Reagan, dubbed “The Great Communicator,” used the slogan during his 1980 presidential campaign. The economy was in rough shape at the time, with Americans only just resurfacing from a period of stagflation, or a mix of high inflation and a weak job market.

Reagan acknowledged the economic turmoils while accepting the Republican nomination for president in 1980, saying, “For those who’ve abandoned hope, we’ll restore hope and we’ll welcome them into a great national crusade to make America great again.” He had earlier used the phrase during a Labor Day speech, NBC reports.

Then-presidential hopeful Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, are all smiles as they visit a downtown voting precint as they do some last minute campaigning for New Hampshire’s first-in-the-Nation Presidential Primary on Feb. 26, 1980. (Getty)
Close-up of pinback button with text reading “Reagan, Let’s Make America Great Again,” for Ronald Reagan’s 1980 Presidential election campaign, September 26, 2019. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
Badge for the 1980 Presidential Election, featuring Ronald Reagan and George Bush, with the words ‘Reagan-Bush in ’80, Let’s Make America Great Again.’ USA, 1980. (Photo by Fotosearch/Getty Images).
Former Governor of California Ronald Reagan making a speech during the Republican presidential primary in New York, March 1980. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The phrase “Let’s make America great again” would go on to be part of Reagan’s campaign. It did not, however, seem to become as prominent as the phrase has been as of late.

Trump trademarked the term

While Trump claims he came up with the phrase in late 2012 (more on that in a moment), he appeared to first use it in relation with a presidential run in December 2011 when he decided against moderating a GOP debate. At the time, he said he had to “leave all of my options open because, above all else, we must make America great again!”

As CNN reports, a group of Trump supporters quickly filed for an independent party — the “Make America Great Again Party” — to appear on the ballot in Texas. Trump later said he thought it was “a great name.”

Trump explained to The Washington Post in 2017 that he came up with “Make America Great Again” in 2012 after Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) lost the presidency to incumbent Barack Obama. Days later, a trademark was filed for the slogan.

Records from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show multiple active trademarks owned by Donald J. Trump for President for “Make America Great Again” to be used on bags, bumper stickers, and more.

“I didn’t know it was going to catch on like it did. It’s been amazing,” Trump told The Washington Post. “The hat, I guess, is the biggest symbol, wouldn’t you say?”

The first MAGA hat wasn’t red

While red “Make America Great Again” hats are now synonymous with the Trump campaign, the original hat was a completely different color.

When Trump visited the U.S.-Mexico border in July 2015, a month after declaring his White House bid, he debuted what would soon become his “biggest symbol” — a “Make America Great Again” hat.

This one, however, was white.

LAREDO, TEXAS – JULY 23: Republican Presidential candidate and business mogul Donald Trump talks to the media at a press conference during his trip to the border on July 23, 2015, in Laredo, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Busch/Getty Images)

He would later be seen wearing a red version that became a quick hit when his campaign launched its official merch store hours before the first GOP debate of the season. The hats, first retailing for $25, were initially available in a wide range of colors.

The merch store now has eight “Make America Great Again” or “MAGA” hats available, though only in one of three colors — red, white, and black — as well as a camo option. They retail for $40 each.

“Make America Great Again” wasn’t the first option

While discussing the slogan’s origins, Trump explained that “Make America Great Again” wasn’t his first idea.

Initially, as Trump told The Washington Post, multiple phrases came to mind after Romney’s loss to Obama. Among them was “We Will Make America Great,” which was quickly tossed aside.

“Make America Great” also came to mind, but because it seemingly implied the country was not great, it was passed over.

Once he settled on “Make America Great Again,” Trump said he spoke with his lawyers about trademarking it.

The Clinton connection

The phrase has, of course, faced backlash, with opponents arguing that America is already great.

Among the critics was Hillary Clinton who, while also vying for the presidency in 2016, said, “I don’t think we have to make America great. I think we have to make America greater.”

Her husband, former president Bill Clinton, also referred to the slogan as a racist code that “white Southerners” would understand.

Clinton, however, used the same phrase in 1991 while announcing his presidential campaign. A year later, he encouraged voters “to make America great again economically, educationally, and socially.”

MAGA, again

Unlike Reagan, who tweaked his campaign slogan to “bringing America back” during his 1984 reelection campaign, Trump’s campaign appears to be sticking with “Make America Great Again.”

Reagan-Bush ’84, Bringing America Back! presidential campaign poster, 1984, lithograph, private collection. (Photo by VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images)

That’s a shift from 2020, when he used (and has since lost the trademark for) “Keep America Great.”

Despite the apparent connection, Trump told The Washington Post that he was unaware Reagan had used a similar tagline during his campaign until years after filing for the trademark.

Tags Mitt Romney Ronald Reagan